Brief Description:
This is a hike on the Benton MacKaye Trail near the Ocoee Whitewater
Center on the segment of the BMT which is also for part of the way the Thunder Rock
Mountain Bike Trail, a part of the Tanasi Mountain Bike System.
We
will hike up the BMT out of the back end of the Thunder Rock Campground
then cross FS 45 and then come down the Thunder Rock Mountain Bike
Trail.

Length: 5.2 miles

Difficulty Rating: Moderate due to length and elevation
gain

Elevation Gain: Several hundred feet from the trail
head up to the top of the ridge.

Directions to the Trailhead:
Meet at the Bi-Lo
in Etowah at 8:30 AM or at Hardee's in Ocoee at 9:00 AM

Trail Description:
Saturday hike up the Benton MacKaye and then back to near Thunder Rock
on bike trails, with a short road walk back to Thunder Rock trail
parking area.

Post Trip Report:
On a cool, sunny morning 11 people met at Hardee's in Ocoee to car
shuttle to Thunder Rock Trail parking area. After sign in and pictures
we started our hike, along the Ocoee River, down through the campground.
The climb from the river up the first part of the Benton MacKay trail
was very steep and narrow,
and
we warmed up very fast. From forest road #45 the route was on an old
road to the junction of the Chestnut mountain trail and down the
Chestnut mountain trail. We did not encounter any Dallas cheer leaders
on this hike. Our biggest surprise of the hike was on the Chestnut Mt.
Trail. Randy spotted a very large rock way up in a tree about 25 feet
off the ground. The rock was lodged in the fork of a limb of the tree.
The Jolly Green Giant must have put the rock up there; I have a picture
of the rock in the tree and will change my story if someone gets the
rock out of the tree. We returned to the campground on the Thunder Rock
Express trail. We only encountered one bike rider on this hike, however,
many bikers were coming into the parking lot as we ate lunch at the
picnic tables. This was great group of hikers and I enjoyed leading the
hike very much, thank to everyone who came out on this hike. Hikers were
Clayton Pannell (leader), Aggie Scott, Carol Guhne, Cathy D Doss, Jerry
White, Judy White, Mary White, Angela Chastain, Randy Morris, Tammy
Johnson and Belinda Mantooth.